Brussels advises EU countries to take a tougher stance against the Communist China

On October 17th, a document prepared by the EU foreign policy department for member states said that the EU should thoroughly consider the communist China as a competitor.

The paper states that the EU should move its supply chain away from mainland China and increase cooperation with the US and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

The paper notes that communist China has become a global competitor to democracies and that the EU, the US and other partner need to seriously address the current and future challenges. The paper highlights that the EU’s relations with communist China have deteriorated significantly since the current policy towards Beijing was agreed in 2019. The deterioration is characterized by trade disputes, retaliatory sanctions and a series of failed attempts to find common ground.

Government officials say Beijing’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, threats to Taiwan, the destruction of human rights in Hong Kong, and the mistreatment of Uighurs are all important events that have occurred since the EU’s current policy was established.

Foreign ministers of EU member states will discuss the document at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday and prepare for a debate on communist China at a summit of EU leaders starting Thursday.